The Relationship Between Social Interaction and Loneliness in the Elderly

Abstract

The elderly are often prone to loneliness. The purpose of this study was to see whether social interaction has a relationship with loneliness in the elderly, using a correlational quantitative approach. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, with a total sample of 133 elderly people in Sedarum Village. To collect data, two Likert scales were used, a social interaction scale of 15 items with a reliability coefficient of 0.688 and a loneliness scale of 12 items with a reliability coefficient of 0.560, which means that both scales are quite reliable. The results of this study obtained a significant value of 0.00 which is below 0.05. The data analysis used is the product moment correlation test, so there is a positive relationship between social interaction and loneliness in the elderly. That is, the higher the levels of interaction, the loneliness in the elderly is also high, and vice versa. The results of this study indicate that loneliness in the elderly is classified as moderate. This can be caused by the lack of quality interaction and communication that occurs in the family, and the low-quality social relationships that the elderly have in society are only an escape from loneliness. So social interaction is also in the medium category.
 Keywords: Social Interaction; Loneliness; Elderly